I looked back at Wes and rolled my eyes, making sure he knew my friend was a complete gobshite. “I didn’t forget. Wes and I are on the way now.”
“Good, because we made a promise and you know they always need help.”
I looked at my watch. “Be there in ten minutes, eejit.”
“See you then,” Napoleon said. “Thanks for coming with him, Weston. Glad you weren’t hurt too badly.”
“Um…thanks.” Wes looked right confused.
“Bye then!” I said, disconnecting the mobile before I could be further embarrassed by my best friend.
“You have a date?” Wes asked hesitantly.
I grinned. “Aye, with a priest no less.”
“A…what?”
His confusion made me laugh. “Father Gilmartin is the priest at Blessed Sacrament just down the street, he is. I volunteer to feed the needy once a month. My best mate, Napoleon, goes with me, and tonight, so are you, provided yer feeling up to it.” When he didn’t reply, I glanced over at him. He was looking down at his op shop clothes and all of a sudden, I felt awkward, wanting to smack myself for saying something so rude. “Oh, shite…me mam always says my mouth moves before my brain catches up.”I sighed. “I didn’t mean to imply that ya were needy, Wes, just…a wee bit, ya know, down on yer luck.” I was gobsmacked when he reached over and covered my hand resting on the gear stick.
“I’m definitely up to it, and I think helping the less fortunate is a wonderful thing to do, Patsy.” The glow in his oddly colored eyes was quite arresting. The smile on his bearded face was even more so. For the first time, I noticed he had dimples hidden under the scruffy beard. He said he’d been on a few interviews for his new job which made me wonder how fast his beard grew. Of course, my horny brain immediately made me wonder how hairy the bear was all over the rest of his body.Feck. You wouldn’t read about it. The last thing I needed was a hard on when I was sitting in a car with a man I was attracted to,anddriving to see my favorite priest.Aaand…now, I’m going to hell.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
I looked down at his big hand, covering mine. It was warm and for the first time since I’d met him, I wished I could turn my palm over, take hold of his hand, and never let go. Instead, I was forced to change gears and his hand dropped away.
“I know I should’ve asked ya before committin’ to bringin’ ya along. It’s just that Napoleon is right, he is. The church has lots of parishioners with hungry, wee kids, so they’ll be needin’ the volunteers to help serve. They also accept donations of books, toys, and clothin’ which get sorted at the same time. The Catholic charity takes them for the homeless kiddies.”
“That’s really nice. I’m so glad you’re involved with that. The homeless population grows every year and with all the layoffs and foreclosures in the past year, a lot more families are living on the streets or in their cars.” He left the “like me” unsaid, but I knew he’d be well within his rights to say it.
“My mam and da raised a large family at home in Ireland, and when we were kids, we spent a lot of time goin’ through church bins.” I saw Wes nod in my peripheral vision.
“How many brothers and sisters do you have?”
“I’m the eldest of ten. Four girls and six boys.”
Wes let out a low whistle. “So, you’re saying your parents had no TV.”
I laughed as I turned onto Cassil Place where partitioners parked in a multi-story car park across from the Catholic school on the south end of the church. “No…’tis true we didn’t have the telly, only shelves full of books to entertain us on rainy, winter nights. We lived on a farm in the country, full of back breakin’ farm work but in a lot of ways, it was an idyllic life. They raised us right.” I pulled into the car park and took a ticket. A car was backing out on the ground level, so I waited, giving me a chance to look my fill of Wes’ smiling eyes. The blue and brown together fascinated me.
“I always wished I had siblings,” he said wistfully. “I only had one—a baby sister—but she died in infancy. Are you close to them?”
I shook myself, shoving aside feelings of how nice he was to look at, and remembered we’d been talking about family. “We’re very close. Of course, they’re all still home in Ireland, but thanks to email and Zoom, we talk all the time. And I try to get home at least once a year to meet the newest crop of nieces and nephews.”
His smile widened as he chuckled. “It’s wonderful that you make the effort, Patsy.”
I tried to ignore how much I liked it when he used my first name and pulled into the space, parking the Beetle, and rushingaround the car to open his door. I held out a hand to help hoist him out. He smirked up at me but took my offer. Once he was on solid ground, we walked toward the street, and I found it incredibly easy to fall into step beside this gentle giant.
Chapter Four
WES
We were halfway across Cassil when something drew my attention to the wrought iron fencing at the front corner of the school property. A man leaned back against the iron bars, while two other men stood in his personal space. It wasn’t the fact that the man against the fence was wearing a priest’s collar that made me stop in my tracks. It was when one of the guys balled a meaty fist and punched the priest right in the stomach. He promptly doubled over.
“Hey!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, instantly in motion as I ran toward the trio.
“Wes?” Patsy yelled.
I tore off down the sidewalk and the two assailants looked up. Seeing me, they bolted around the corner as I charged up to the priest. He’d crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath.
